The Rule
by lilac17
Summary: All the girls in Spenser know one rule to avoid getting hurt: don't fall in love with Reid Garwin because he'll never be over Jacqueline Dupont, his on and off girlfriend. Reid/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own the Covenant. Just letting you know that my other story "Since You've Been Gone' is my main concern and I'm currently writing chapter 7. It's just that this idea wouldn't leave my head. Hope you enjoy it!**

Like every Friday night after a swim meet, Nicky's was packed with Spenser students that wanted to unwind form the school stress and were anxious to celebrate the swim team's win against their rivals, the Hastings Prep School. The so famous Sons of Ipswich were sitting together at their usual table that was near the pool and the foosball table, but differently from the other days, Reid and Tyler were not playing against Aaron and Ryan. As a matter of fact, Reid was in the back, having a shouting match with his four months on and off girlfriend, Jacqueline Dupont, while Tyler was at the table with Sarah, Caleb and Pogue, worried that Reid and Jack would kill each other.

"Do you think we should do something?" Sarah whispered loudly to Caleb, who shook his head. Not even Caleb had the guts to go back there and break them apart. Tyler tried to do that once and he came out with a black eye and bruises that had only disappeared after Tyler had used his powers.

Fighting in the back of Nicky's was a usual thing for the couple. Jack and Reid were too much alike, and with them the good moments were great and the bad ones were just awful. Both of them were stubborn and never wanted to admit they were wrong or apologize. Combined with the personality factor, was the fact that Reid still didn't quite realized that he was taken and never stopped flirting with girls, something that Jack claimed that pissed her off to no end but deep down Tyler knew that Jack was hurt by Reid's behavior.

"You don't do anything to stop them!" Not even the loud music and the usual noise of chattering and laughs were able to muffle Jack's scream. Everyone exchanged glances before getting back to what they were doing. Some of the people continued to be worried, probably because they didn't go to Nicky's on a regular basis, since the Jack and Reid fight was already a normal thing. As a matter of fact, their fight became the main attraction; there were some people who went to Nicky's in hopes of witnessing the couple almost killing each other.

Nicky really should give them some money.

Sarah gave Caleb another questioning look before sighing. Reid and Jack seemed to be so well lately but judging by the way she was screaming it looked like their relationship was crashing down. _Again_.

The sound of tires screeching indicated that Jack had left in an angry huff.

Five minutes later, Reid reappeared and Tyler could notice that he was upset but trying to conceal it. He sat down on a chair next to Tyler's and took a gulp of his friend's coke.

"Are you okay?" Tyler murmured, not wanting to draw any more attention. All the girls, and an old lady, were staring at him like he was a piece of candy, anxiously waiting for Reid to look at them. Reid just cracked his knuckles before saying anything.

"It's just that sometimes she makes me so mad that I can't even see straight," Reid groaned and Tyler realized that he was holding the bottle so tightly that it would break soon.

"I know you're mad at Jack, but I'm sure the bottle isn't the one to be blamed," Tyler said lightly while taking the bottle from his friend's hand. Reid glared at him but stayed silent. He knew that if he opened his mouth, he would snap at Tyler, who certainly didn't deserve it. But sometimes the process of constantly fighting and making up with Jacqueline was getting really tiring.

"She's a bitch and I hate her," Reid recited what the word that were usually said after fighting with Jack. Tyler rolled his eyes; very sure Reid wasn't saying the truth and was still crazy about her. The blond boy caught his friend's gesture and said forcefully. "I mean it, Tyler. Jack and I are over for good,"

Caleb excused himself from the conversation he was having with Sarah and two other friends to talk to Reid.

"You just need to cool down for a few days, man," he advised, offering Reid a sympathetic smile. Tyler cringed, knowing how much Reid hated those but didn't say anything. Caleb was just trying to help.

Reid glared at Caleb's smile and felt the little patience he had reduce to nothing. Caleb could be older, wiser and lots of other things, but there was no way he knew more about girls than he did. Caleb only had two girlfriends including Sarah, for God's sake! He was not in the position to give any advice.

This could be Reid's first serious relationship but he didn't like to admit to his friends that he just didn't know what to do with Jacqueline anymore. She wasn't like any girl he had ever been with. All the others were just…too sweet and willing to do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. In conclusion, they were too easy. Getting Jack had been a challenge but in the end his effort proved to be worth it. She was, hands down, the most amazing girl he had ever met and somehow, she got him to commit, something he had never thought it was possible. Even though Reid envied the relationship that Caleb and Pogue shared with their respective girlfriends, he never really believed he would settle down and become someone's boyfriend.

What he didn't know was that being in a relationship sucked sometimes. Especially with a girl that was a female version of himself. This evening they had fought over a girl, Olivia Greene, to be exacter. She congratulated him on the win and gave him a peck on the lips. This was normal for Reid, so he didn't think the small kiss mattered. However, Jack didn't think that way and even though she didn't show her anger right away, Reid knew something was wrong. Usually on their ride to Nicky's, Jack talked about anything and everything so there wouldn't be silence. Today, Jack just stared outside the window and was quiet as a mouse. Reid asked her countless times why she was acting like that but all he got was a shake of head and a small nothing.

After two hours with Jack acting like that, Reid got too frustrated and rudely dragged her to the back, where they proceeded to have one of their worst fights ever.

"_Why the hell are you acting like that?" Reid inquired in a snarl. Jack scowled and freed her arm out of his grasp. She was a tiny thing but could fight like no other._

"_Oh, please, like you don't know," she hissed and put a lock of honey colored behind her ear._

"_No, I don't know," Reid said hatefully. "You don't talk to me,"_

"_How can I talk to you if you're always so busy with girls?" Jack snapped but was afraid the insecurity could be heard in her voice. Reid snorted, not surprised. She was always like that when other girls came into the scene._

"_Olivia congratulated me, something you never did," Jack's face got red and Reid knew that meant she was starting to get real mad._

"_She kissed you!" She cried._

'_It was a small peck!" Reid retorted, while clenching his fist. Jack let out a hateful laugh before replying._

"_Oh, so if Aaron decides to give me a peck it will be okay?" She asked already knowing the answer. Reid and Aaron Abbott hated each other and it angered her boyfriend when she even talked to Aaron._

"_It's not the same and you know it,"_

"_Why? Because I never slept with him? Because I wasn't a slut before we dated?" Jack inquired in a powerful yell and Reid knew everyone would be able to hear them._

"_You just can't let that go, can you?" Reid snapped angrily and grabbed her arm again. He was starting to lose his head._

"_I'm not the one who can't let it go. It's not like you don't love when girls throw themselves at you!" It was true. As much as Reid liked Jack, the fact that girls were following him always made him feel good. What guy wouldn't like to be desired by half of female population?_

"_Exactly, they throw themselves at me, I don't do anything!" Reid knew the excuse was lame but that was all he got._

"_You don't do anything to stop them!" Jack shrieked and felt her throat getting sore from all the screaming. Suddenly she felt tired, tired of fighting with her boyfriend, of yelling at him. This needed to stop. "I'm done,"_

_Reid looked at her like she had grown a second head. Probably because she never acted like that when they were having an argument, Jack always retorted and never gave up. Now it looked like she was giving up. After seeing the expression of pure exhaustion on her face and hearing her words, Reid started to panic. What did she mean by that? Was she done with the fight or with their relationship? He couldn't let her leave like that._

"_Well, you're acting like a spoiled child!" Reid said trying to piss her off but instantly regretted when Jack shook her head disappointed._

"_I'm leaving now Reid," she announced before entering her silver Porsche and speeding up. Reid waited until he couldn't see her car anymore to go back inside._

"Do you want to head back to the dorms?" Tyler's voice snapped him out of his daze and Reid stooped replaying his fight with Jack inside his mind. "I can give you a ride,"

Reid had forgotten he had come to Nicky's in Jack's car and now he depended on someone to drive him back.

"No, not really," Reid smirked after spotting a pretty blonde that was eyeing him. Tyler shook his head, already knowing what was going to happen.

"Reid, you shouldn't do that. Jack left fifteen minutes ago and everyone from Spenser is here. If you hook up with a girl, Jack will know it," Tyler advised wisely and Reid grimaced; maybe his friend was right.

"You're right, but I have an idea. Why don't you go over there and tell her to meet me in the back so we can go somewhere private?"

"And exactly how are you planning on getting there? Because I'm sure this private place is not close to here," Tyler asked and groaned in disgust when he was able to read the answer on Reid's face. "No man, you're not taking my Hummer to do those…things,"

"Oh, come on, Baby Boy!"

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In the end, Reid managed to convince Tyler to use the Hummer for his activities. All he had to do was tell him he would kiss her on Nicky's, in front of everyone. Tyler doubted a little but after he saw that Reid had slipped vodka in the coke and he wasn't too sober, Tyler agreed. After all he liked Jack too much to see her humiliated and he wanted to date one of her best friends. If Jack started to hate Reid, then she would probably dislike the other three Sons and Leah would side with her friend.

The blonde girl named Rachel was now sitting on his lap, nipping at his neck. Reid wondered if it was alright to wish that it was Jacqueline kissing him instead of Rachel. At the moment, all he was feeling was the guilt that had started to eat him. When he was seriously thinking about asking her to leave, his phone started to ring.

He had been saved by the bell.

Reid picked up his Motorola phone and recognized one of Jack's numbers on the display. This was her home number and Reid guessed it was probably Sylvie, Jack's mother, calling to chastise him for making her daughter cry.

"What's up, Mrs. D?" He greeted after pushing Rachel off his lap. It was an awkward thing talking to your girlfriend or ex girlfriend's mother with a girl on your lap.

"Hey Reid, I was trying to call you," Sylvie's voice was somber and he was starting to get scared. Usually she would jokingly tell him he was a jerk that didn't deserve her daughter.

"Okay, so what's wrong?" Reid asked hesitantly. Her next words almost caused him to drop the phone.

"Jack's been in an accident,"

**A/N: I didn't describe Jack on purpose. I wanted to make you curious! Please review! **

**PS: I am in need of a beta, so if anyone would like to beta this story for me, just send me a message.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N 1: I know I said I would update Since You've Been Gone first but inspiration struck me and I couldn't ignore that. Consider thisone of your Christmas presents. I hope I'll be able to update before Christmas. **

Previously:

"_Jack's been in an accident,"_

Reid heard Sylvie's words but didn't quite process them. Jack couldn't have been in an accident, he had seen her leaving in her so precious Porsche Cayenne, and she was perfect that time. Well, perfect, except for the anger she exuded. Maybe she was so mad that she crashed her car. Reid panicked and felt his heart plummeting then. If that was what happened, it meant he was the indirect responsible for the accident. Sylvie's concerned voice snapped him out of his guilty daze.

"Reid, darling are you okay?" Her French accent thickened.

"Is she okay? Where is she? She's not…dead, right?" Reid asked in a whisper after he regained his voice. Jack had to be okay, just like that. She couldn't be gone.

On the other side of the line, Sylvie smiled sympathetically. She knew her daughter and Reid had lots of problems but in those four months, Jacqueline had never been so happy. For that, she liked Reid like a son.

"Oh, non! She is at the St. Claire Hospital. They're now running exams so I couldn't see her. I just thought you may want to know,"

"I'm coming," Reid said with his mind already made up and ignored the questioning look he was getting from Rachel.

"You don't need to do that, sweetie. I've already called my husband and he's coming. It's late and you should rest,"

Reid shook his head forcefully as if Sylvie could see him.

"I'm coming, just give me twenty minutes," He looked at Rachel and wondered what would be the best way to get rid of her. Sylvie sighed loudly.

"Okay. I'll be waiting for you,"

Reid hung up and turned to Rachel. She had a question mark written on her forehead but he wasn't about to tell her what had happened. Actually one of the rules he had set for himself was to never talk about Jack or any of his close friends to the girls he hooked up with. Talking with them about anything other than sex made them feel special and they were not. Some may think that was cruel but Reid disagreed. He never told any girl he was interested in a serious relationship. Before he started to date Jack, girls wanted to change him. They wanted to be known as the one girl who changed Reid Garwin and they were always disappointed when that didn't happen.

"Play time is over, get dressed," Reid ordered before taking his shirt form the floor. Rachel had an amused smile on her face, as she thought he was joking. One of her friends had already hooked up with him and had told her he liked to play games.

"What you don't want to do it here?" Rachel asked in a seductive voice and climbed up to his lap. She would have to pull out the big guns. This was Reid Garwin, after all.

"I don't want to do it anymore, so would you be a darling and get dressed?" He growled and pushed her off his lap for the second time. What was up with those girls who couldn't follow a simple order?

Rachel glared at him before picking up the clothes that had been thrown on the floor.

"I'm dropping you at Nicky's. You should call someone to pick you up there," he said carelessly and started the car. Reid knew he was in no condition to drive but fortunately he decided to fool around in a place near the bar so he wouldn't have to drive a long distance.

The drive to Nicky's lasted ten minutes, but for Reid it felt like one hour. Not only he was afraid that Jack would die in the hospital when he wasn't there but Rachel kept giving a pleading look that was starting to creep him out.

He stopped the car and Rachel got out, but not before turning to talk to him.

"Thanks for the ride. You should call me sometime," she suggested hopefully.

"Yeah, I'll call you," Reid agreed in a dismissal tone that clearly stated he was not going to call her.

"Bye," Rachel said before turning around to enter the bar again.

Her friend had told her all about Reid and his stamina but she certainly didn't tell her the way he acted when trying to get rid of her.

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Reid sighed relieved after he saw Rachel entering Nicky's. He needed to stay alone for a moment to think about what he was going to do. St Claire Hospital was a half hour drive and Reid knew exactly who he needed this moment. He grabbed the phone and dialed.

"Hey man, I thought you would take a little longer than this," Tyler greeted laughing. "It's been what, less than two hours?"

On another circumstance Reid would have laughed and told Tyler to screw himself but right now all he could think about was Jack lying on a hospital bed. That vision scared him like hell.

"Listen Ty, Jack was in an…accident and I need you to take me to the hospital, because I told he mom I would go there and now I realized I had …" Reid started to ramble and Tyler got even more nervous. Just the news that Jack had suffered an accident was bad but listening to Reid was enough to break him.

"It's okay man, I'll take you there. Just tell me where you are," Tyler said in a calming voice. He knew Reid hated when people pitied him so he was trying not to be too sympathetic, but that was a hard thing to do.

"I'm at the back of Nicky's inside your Hummer,"

"I'll be outside in less than five minutes," Reid knew there was a reason why he liked Tyler so much.

"Thanks,"

After a few minutes, Tyler was outside and saw Reid sitting on the passenger seat, with his head resting against the window. It was a sign saying he didn't want to talk but Tyler needed to at least know which hospital Jack was admitted.

"What's the name of the hospital, Reid?" Tyler asked without taking his eyes off the road. There were only two big hospitals near the city and it was the same way to both of them and since Reid hadn't said a word; Tyler just figured the best thing to do was just drive and ask questions later.

"St. Claire," Reid uttered the two words and glanced down at his phone. There were no missed calls from Sylvie and he took that as a good sign.

If Jack was really bad, Sylvie would have called him, right?

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The St. Claire Hospital brought back bad memories from when he was younger, but this occasion was certainly the worst ever. After entering the building, he practically ran to the floor where the emergency patients stayed. A tall, blonde woman greeted him with a hug. It was Sylvie.

"Reid, you really didn't need to come," she said after releasing him. That was when Reid noticed how red and swollen her eyes were, probably from crying.

"I couldn't not come," Reid replied honestly and started to fiddle with his gloves. "What happened?"

"She crashed her car and hit her head. She's better now, Nicholas is with her," Sylvie said with a sad smile on her face. She knew that Jack was really close to her father and would be happy to know he was by her side.

"When will she wake up?" He was hesitantly; he was scared to find out she was in a coma or something.

"The doctors told me it should be tomorrow or a little later. They gave her morphine for the pain and she was out,"

"But she's okay, right?" Reid wouldn't be able to handle if she weren't. Even if he didn't like to admit, Jack was one of the most important persons in his life.

"For now. Look Reid, if you want to see her, her room number is 112. I'm going to get a coffee," Sylvie said and noticed Tyler, who was seating on a chair trying to give them some privacy. She turned to him. "Tyler, you should come to me. You really don't want to stay here,"

Tyler smiled gratefully and accompanied her to the cafeteria, but not before giving Reid a concerned look. Reid nodded slowly as if to say he would be fine. After the pair left, Reid walked towards Jack's room. He knocked softly on the door and opened it after a voice told him to come in.

Reid entered the room and saw Jack's father, Nicholas Dupont, sitting on a chair next to the bed and holding Jack's hand. Nicholas was a built tall man with an authoritative voice that made everyone, including Reid, shake in their boots. But now, Reid could see that Nicholas didn't resemble at all the strong man he was. Nicholas's dark brown hair that was usually perfectly combed back was now messy and Reid guessed it was from running his hands through it. Jack also had the habit of playing with her hair when she was nervous.

"Hey Reid," Nicholas said in a weak voice. Reid felt like he was intruding but the need to touch Jack and make sure she was okay was greater than the uncomfortable feeling.

"Hey. Sylvie went to the cafeteria to get a coffee and eat something. Have you eaten?" Reid asked in a whisper. Nicholas shook his head but didn't move. It was like he couldn't distance himself from his daughter. "If you want to go, I can stay with her,"

Nicholas stayed silent for a minute before getting up. He walked to the door and turned to Reid before opening it.

"You should call a nurse if something happens," Reid nodded serious. "Thanks for caring so much about her,"

Reid felt his throat closing with guilt. While his girlfriend was hurt in the hospital, he was fooling around with some girl. After Nicholas left, Reid occupied the now vacant seat next to the bed.

"We're alone now," Reid murmured and brushed a strand of her dark blonde baby fine hair off her face. He noticed a small purple bruise that marred her milky white skin. "What have you done, baby girl?" Reid kissed her forehead and let his lips linger there for some time.

There was some silence and Reid realized he was waiting for an answer. He really wasn't used to sleeping people on a hospital bed, especially Jack. That girl was the toughest one he had ever met and seeing her look so vulnerable and hurt caused something inside of him to stir. It could be guilt, regret, who knew? There were too many feelings for him to be able to distinguish them apart.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I hope you can see that when you wake up," Reid gently picked up her warm hand and put it between his hands. "I want us to be better after this,"

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"So I see you're playing the role of perfect boyfriend now," Tyler commented after entering the dorm room and seeing Reid arranging his hair in front of the mirror with a bouquet of lilies on the table. "You're going to see Jack?"

"Yeah, Sylvie said she should wake up today and I want to be there," Reid said excitedly.

"You want me to give you a ride?"

"No, just give me your car keys, but thanks anyway," Tyler tossed the keys to Reid, who easily caught them. "I gotta go," He grabbed the flowers and left hurriedly. Tyler smiled.

That girl would be Reid's downfall.

Sylvie looked much better than on Friday night. The almost permanent glow that her exuded was back and her green eyes were sparkling again.

"Hey, Reid," she greeted him with a pearly white smile. "You brought flowers, how nice!" Sylvie noticed the lilies and Reid shifted uncomfortably. Perhaps he would eventually get used to this boyfriend thing but today wasn't the day.

"Yeah," he rubbed the nape of his neck. "Is she awake?"

"No, not yet. You can go see her if you want. I need to go home and get some things for her. I can just imagine her reaction if her shampoo isn't here?" They chuckled. Jack may be not a girly girl all the time like Kate but she was always picky about her precious shampoo, something Reid never understood.

"Okay, I'll take these to her room,"

The white hospital room was filled with balloons, teddy bears and flowers. News really flew in that town. The accident had happened on Friday night and on Sunday morning everyone had already sent gifts. Not that he was so surprised, Jack was nice to everyone but Kira Snider and him, when they were fighting.

He was going through her gifts and chuckled when he saw a white bear in a Speedo, the gift from the swim team. No doubt the idea to give that had come from Caleb or Tyler. Reid heard a small cough and turned to the bed. Jack was awake and staring at him with a confused look on her face.

"Reid?"

-tbc-

**A/N 2: Thanks so much for the reviews! Please, if you add my story to your alerts, please review as well. Your opinion means the world to me!! Merry Christmas! Feliz Natal! **


	3. Chapter 3

_Previously:_

_Jack was awake and staring at him with a confused look on her face._

"_Reid?"_

Reid practically ran to the side of the bed and counted to ten in an attempt to calm himself. Seeing Jack awake was definitely one of the things he wanted the most, but he didn't think she would regain conscious when the two of them were alone. Reid was scared and didn't know what to do, but he knew- and that could be a little selfish- he didn't want the room to be flooded with people who would keep asking if she was okay over and over. He just needed to be alone with her for a few minutes and make sure she didn't hate him. After all, they had a huge fight before her accident.

"Jack, are you okay?" He asked in a whisper just because his voice wouldn't get louder. "Do you want me to get anything, water, ice chips, are you hungry?" Reid almost hit himself on the head after realizing that he was confusing her with the rambling. Jack was only half listening to him as she stared at the surroundings.

"I'm in a hospital," Jack stated quietly, more to herself than to Reid, while touching the white hospital gown. She lifted her head and looked at Reid with inquiring eyes. "What am I doing here?"

Reid frowned and started to panic even more. Jack didn't know why she was there; therefore she didn't remember the accident. Did she have amnesia? No she couldn't, because she remembered him.

All the questions that were going through his head were starting to give him a headache and Reid finally pressed the button to call the nurse. A short, plump and blonde woman entered the room thirty seconds after Reid pressed the button in a hurry and relaxed when she saw that it wasn't an emergency.

"I see you're awake, dear," the nurse gently said before walking over to Jack to check her temperature. "Everybody was worried about you."

"I don't understand why I'm here," Jack whispered, sounding like confused small child and Reid just wanted to gather her in his arms to assure her she would be fine. Unlike Reid, the nurse didn't frown after hearing Jack, she just smiled warmly.

"It's okay, the doctor will be here and he'll explain everything to you, okay?" Jack nodded and the nurse adjusted the covers. "I'm Nurse Davies, just press the button and I'll be here, okay?"

"Okay." Nurse Davies left to page the doctor and Reid and Jack were alone again. Reid, who had stepped back so the nurse could work better, rushed to the bed.

"Are you in pain?" He asked her while caressing her cheek. She shook her head, her huge lake blue eyes staring up at him. Reid smiled when he remembered how much she could manipulate him just with those eyes.

"No, I just feel weird, everything is like a blur. The last thing I remember is going to Mr. Truman's class and then talking to Sarah,"

"That's because you hit head. Sometimes, things can get a bit confusing. But don't worry, the doctor will be here in a few minutes and he'll explain everything, okay?"

"Okay," she said and slumped back on the pillows. Nurse Davies quietly left to let the others know that Jack was awake.

Reid made a mental research and concluded that Jack didn't remember the swim meet and their fight. Perhaps that wasn't a bad thing, he had said things he regretted now and wanted to take it back. He had the chance to just erase their fight and start out again. Reid smiled before leaning down to kiss her forehead.

"Don't worry, you didn't miss anything,"

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Monday

"I'm telling you, that's a stupid idea," Tyler warned Reid after he was told his friend's plan. "It could work if there wasn't so much gossip here and if you weren't so damn popular."

Reid just shook his head, refusing to believe that his brilliant plan could fail.

"It'll work, Ty. The doctor said she probably wouldn't remember that night," Reid argued, but in reality he was trying to convince himself.

Tyler was still hesitant, but he realized that nothing would be able to convince Reid not to go through with his plan. All he could do was being there for his friend when Jack discovered the truth and Tyler knew it wouldn't be pretty.

"I don't Reid, but if that's what you want to do, you have my support. Which will be more like a shoulder to cry on once Jack finds out," Tyler felt like he should try one last time before completely giving up. Reid waved his hands, dismissing the possibility.

"Nobody will tell, they'll just look at her with that pity face, whatever," Tyler looked at him with disbelief written all over his face.

"You don't feel bad for her?"

"I do, but I don't want us to break up," Reid tried to justify his actions.

"I just hope you know what you're doing,"

"And what is Reid doing?" Caleb piped in before sitting on a chair next to Tyler. Sarah, Pogue and Kate were behind him and also sat down a few minutes after.

"Reid lied to Jack and will continue lying," Tyler deadpanned before eating what was left on his plate. Reid smacked his arm as Sarah and Kate gasped.

"What?" The two girls asked at the same time. Reid chuckled and let his head fall in between his hand.

"Baby Boy is exaggerating. I only chose not to tell Jack about our fight, that's it." Reid's face was still covered by his hands, causing his voice to be muffled.

"You can't do that!" Sarah's usual gentle voice was angry as she defended one of her best friends. That was why Reid didn't want anyone else but Tyler to know about that before Jack was back at school, when his friends would have no other choice but go along with his story. Reis lifted his head and sent Sarah a threatening glare.

"Yes, I can. Jack is my girlfriend and that is none of your business, so stay out of it," Reid said in a low voice that made everybody in the table cringe and Sarah to back down. Caleb grasped her hand to show support and glared at Reid, who ignored it.

"It's not right, Reid. She'll find out sooner or later," Kate declared after a minute of silence. Unlike Sarah, she wasn't complaining or being judgmental, which caused Reid to soften a little bit.

"It's already done so would you please not do anything?" Reid muttered and it almost seemed like he was kind of beginning. Kate mutely nodded and Reid got up and left.

"That's not going to work, is it?" Caleb asked to nobody in particular.

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Tuesday

Jack was singing along with the radio as she combed her hair. Even though Sylvie, her mother, had brought the shampoo and conditioner she liked to the hospital, Jack never felt it was enough. She always thought her hair wasn't clean enough or shiny enough. Sylvie claimed that Jack was in a hospital and people aren't meant to be pretty at hospitals but Jack didn't think that.

"You look beautiful, as always," Reid drawled from his place at the door, causing Jack to jump in surprise and drop the comb she was holding. He chuckled and walked towards her.

"You scared me, Reid! Wear a bell, will you?" Jack cried as she leaned down to retrieve the comb from the floor. "I got out of the hospital this morning you want me to go back by giving me a heart attack!"

Reid smirked and sat on the edge of the queen- size bed, a few steps from the vanity. He always loved to see Jack acting all girly, well besides the one time Jack decided to wear a dress to Nicky's that Reid believed it was a shirt. Actually, at that time, Jacqueline didn't look like a seventeen year old girl; she looked like a beautiful woman. As a matter of fact, it had taken ten minutes for Reid to recompose and start his speech about how short and inappropriate that dress was.

"They miss you already," Reid said quietly and both of them knew that what Reid meant was '_I_ miss you' but he would never say the word out loud.

"Oh, really?" Jack smiled and continued brushing her hair, making the dark blond locks become straight and falling down on her shoulder.

"Yeah, you were still the talk of the school,"

"I guess I'm just popular, honey. I mean, have you seen the number of presents I received?" She said in a smug tone before getting up.

"Yeah, I was definitely surprised," he replied lazily and laid on the bed. "Do you want to do something?"

"Something like what?" Jack shimmied out of the pajama bottoms she was wearing and walked to the closet to look for some shorts. Reid stopped fiddling with the pillows to look at her, really look at her.

Unlike everyone thought, Jack and Reid were not having sex. They always made out, teased each other, some petting here and there but every time they were about to do _it_, Jack stopped Reid and gave him some lame excuse. Not only that, but Jack always got all tense when he tried to talk about sex. She got so tense that Reid even wondered if she was a virgin, but then he remembered listening to Aiden Miller practically describe his one night with Jack, so he guessed that was not the problem. Maybe she was waiting until he said 'I love you'. If that was the case, it would be a long time before they slept together because there was no way he would say the infamous three words first.

"Reid, stop checking me out and answer the question!" Jack exclaimed when her question was met by silence. Reid snapped out of his daze and gave her an unusual sheepish smile. She put on a pair of blue shorts and sat on the bed next to Reid.

"We can go get some ice cream," he suggested while nuzzling on her neck. Jack giggled and softly kissed his lips.

"But it's cold!" She protested and Reid chuckled before kissing her again with more force. They continued kissing until they had to break apart for air.

"So? You love ice cream when it's cold," Reid whispered on her ear, making her shiver and look at him surprised. She didn't expect him to know these little things about her and to be so sweet.

"I think we are going to be so much better now," Jack confessed in a small excited voice and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "I'm going to grab my coat so we can leave!" She hopped from the bed and strode to her walk-in closet happily.

Reid felt his heart clench and he already knew that was the guilt showing. He didn't expect Jack to be so sweet with him. Maybe he shouldn't have lied to her, he should've acted like a man and told her what had really happened that night and deal with the consequences.

"I'm ready, we can go now!" Jack exclaimed happily and Reid knew he wouldn't be able to her the truth anytime soon. Reid wouldn't admit to anyone, but he was aware of the fact that Jack could control him just by looking at him with her big blue eyes. They were kind of dysfunctional, but he wasn't ready to let Jack go, especially when things were looking up. "Are you okay?"

Reid composed himself and tried not to let the guilt show in his eyes. He got up from the bed and put his arm around her tiny waist. When they were standing next to each other, Jack always looked shorter than she really was.

"Yeah, let's get our ice cream,"

Jack got on her tip toes to give him a small kiss. When she broke away, there was a frown on her face. Reid raised an eyebrow, mutely asking her what was wrong.

"I wonder if they still have that strawberry flavor I like," she said in a grave voice and Reid laughed before leaning down to place a chaste kiss on her forehead.

"I'll make sure they have the special strawberry flavor," Reid assured confidently her as they walked towards the door.

He had lied to her, so the least he could do was get her favorite ice cream.

-tbc-

A/N: I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but inspiration wouldn't come. Thanks so much for the awesome reviews, I hope you like the chapter and review. Knowing you guys like my story makes my day! Next chapter will have a much more detailed description of Jack, for those who are curious about her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

School was pretty much the same for Jack, except for the sympathetic looks she was receiving from some people. Every time that happened, Jack just shrugged it off and thought it was because of the accident. Jack had crashed her precious, brand new Porsche Cayenne into a tree; she would also send sympathetic and pitiful expressions to whoever did that.

"There you are!" Two voices exclaimed at the same time and Jack almost dropped the books she was carrying because of the scare. It was Sarah and Kate smiling at her. Jack didn't smile back and sent the two girls an angry look.

"You scared the crap out of me!" She cried angrily but cracked a smile five seconds after. "You want to kill me even after I've been in an accident!" Jack said seriously making the other two girls stare at her with an apologizing expression.

"Sorry, Jackie, we didn't mean that," Sarah mumbled gently and Jack smiled inside. Making Sarah feel guilty was easier than taking candy from a child. Not being able to control herself any longer, Jack started to laugh and soon the three of them were also laughing.

"I'm sorry; it's just too easy to fool you!" Jack said and planted a kiss on Sarah's cheek sweetly.

"We were looking for you to ask if you wanted to go to our room after class. We bought tons of Ben and Jerry's!" Kate exclaimed excitedly. Jack raised a perfect plucked eyebrow.

"That will give us bad luck, you know. Ben and Jerry's ice cream is for when we fight or break up with our boyfriend and as far as I'm concerned, we are good now. At least, Kate and I. Sarah doesn't have to worry about that because she got one of the best boys between the four," Jack reminded Kate, who nodded in agreement while Sarah had a confused look on her face.

"What does that mean?"

"Oh come on, everyone knows that between the four boys Caleb and Tyler are boyfriend material. Pogue and Reid are…manageable, but they weren't mean to be in serious relationships, you know? Just look at how Kate and I struggle with them,"

Sarah stayed quiet for a moment before letting out a small _oh._

"That makes sense," Sarah concluded. Jack opened her locker and grabbed two more books from inside to put in her Dior pink tote.

"I can't hang out with after classes, ladies. I have tennis practice with Josh for two hours. He says I need to 'take it easy' for a few time after the accident," she said and did the air quotes with her fingers. Sarah and Kate looked at her shocked. Who the hell thought that a two hour practice was taking it easy?

"What about after?" Sarah insisted. She was feeling guilty for letting Reid go through with that stupid plan so she wanted to do something nice for Jack. Jack shook her head and by doing that, her dark blonde hair almost hit Kate on the face.

"Can't. Reid is taking me somewhere," Jack slung the pink bag over her shoulder and closed the locker.

Kate and Sarah subtly exchanged looks as they mentally concluded that Reid was also feeling guilty and because of that he would try to make Jack happy in any he could.

"You're going to meet his parents?" Kate asked curiously. Reid's famous parents were finally in town again and maybe Reid would try to please Jack by taking her to meet them. Kate realized that probably Jack wouldn't be meeting Mr. and Mrs. Garwin when Jack's face held a confused expression and when she received a not too gentle nudge from Sarah. "Sorry, Jack, it's just that Pogue told me that his parents were back and I figured that since you've been dating for so long that you would meet them…" Kate started to ramble nervously but Jack raised a hand to stop her.

"Kate, I'm sure Reid has a reason why he doesn't want me to meet his parents," Jack said with forced calm and looked at her small Marc Jacobs watch. "Look at the time, I'm late for class. I'll call you girls later so we can decide on what to do!" Jack called out while she was already walking as fast as she could in her high heels to her classroom.

"I messed up, didn't I?" Kate asked, already knowing the answer and Sarah nodded. "I'm sorry,"

"I'm not the one who's mad, but if I were you, I wouldn't want to be near Reid for a while," Sarah advised amused. Kate cringed, not wanting to imagine Reid's reaction. Sarah was right; Kate would try to avoid Reid for a few hours.

"Yeah,"

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"Run! Run!" Josh, her tennis coach, yelled while waving his arms angrily. Josh Harden was in his mid forties but was a fit man who had the energy of a twenty year old man. He had dedicated his whole life to making teenagers like Jack one of the best tennis players out there. "Nice one!" He said after Jack hit the ball hard with the racquet. Evan, the boy she was playing against, wasn't able to catch the ball and Jack won the game. "That's a wrap! Come here, Jack!"

Jack walked slowly towards him and cringed when she felt the muscles of her leg cramp because of the effort. It was a stupid idea to have a practice so soon after the accident.

"You did a good job, especially because you were in that horrible accident," Josh said and Jack frowned when she detected worry and sympathy (again!) on his voice. Everyone at Sloane- the place where she practiced- joked about Josh, saying he was a tall robot who happened to play tennis brilliantly but was void of emotion.

"Thanks coach, but I don't think I'll come practice tomorrow. My head still hurts a bit," she lied and let out a pained gasp, while putting a hand on her head. Josh nodded his head and narrowed his dark brown eyes slightly. "What's wrong, coach?"

"Your boyfriend is here. Good thing he didn't come earlier to distract you, that boy likes to do that," Josh grumbled and ran his hands through his black hair. Jack couldn't help but let out a small giggle; Reid always came to watch her practicing and Josh always hated when that happened.

"Sorry, coach," Jack said in a face that showed she wasn't sorry at all.

"Until next week then," he waved his hand dismissively and Jack could take a hint. She nodded and skipped to Reid's direction even with her pain.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asked after giving him a kiss on the cheek. No hugging or making out, she had just finished practicing and she was sweaty. A few strands of dark blonde hair were sticking to her forehead because of the sweat and Jack pushed them away, a bit disgusted. No matter how tight the ponytail was, there were always those annoying little hairs who insisted on getting loose.

"I stopped by so we can grab something to eat. I'm sure you're hungry," While running around like crazy and listening to Josh's yells, Jack didn't feel a single thing, but now that practice was over, she could hear the low rumbling of her stomach.

"I have to take a shower first, I can't even think with all this sweat. You're lucky, you know? Your practice is inside a pool, where you don't have things like that," she pointed to her neck that was wet because of a few droplets that had fallen down. Reid pointed a finger at her.

"I'll have you know that I work out and get sweaty too!" He cried, making Jack laugh. Reid tried to circle his arms around her waist, but she stepped away.

"Let me get that shower and we'll talk. Try not to cause trouble in the fifteen minutes I'll be gone, okay?" Jack whispered the last part and pointedly looked at some of the girls bundled together who were drinking Coke and looking at Reid in a way she knew it would lead to trouble. Reid shook his head to assure he would try and be a good boy for the time she would be gone. "Good," That was the only word she said before grabbing the racquet and her water bottle.

Reid couldn't help but stare at Jack while she walked towards the showers. There was something unbelievably sexy in the way she strutted and how the white short skirt she was wearing flow as she walked. The girls hollered at him to catch his attention but Reid ignored them. He was on a mission to try and be a better boyfriend.

"I didn't know you could play so soon after the… accident," Reid commented before taking a bite of his hamburger. Jack shrugged her shoulders and stole a fry from his plate.

After she had freshened up, they decided to go to Haven, a small restaurant that everyone who attended Sloane went to. At the moment, it was packed with hungry and loud athletes.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired, that's it," Jack flashed him a smile and took a sip of her lemonade. What she really wanted to do was ask him if she would meet his parents in a near future. The Garwins were always coming and going and nobody, not even Reid, could predict how long they would be staying in Ipswich this time. It could be a little immature on Jack's part, but she just didn't think it was fair that Reid knew her mom and her dad and was always welcome at her house. She had only seen Meredith and Joseph in photos and imagined if they were bad like Reid described or fine like everyone else did.

"What's on your mind?" Reid asked after she was silent for almost five minutes, something that was just too unlike her.

"Nothing," Jack answered quickly and Reid knew she was lying, especially because her green eyes wouldn't meet his.

"Cut the crap and tell me already," he demanded in a soft voice. It amazed him how much he had gotten to know her in the last months they've been together. He had find out things like if Jack was silent for more than two minutes, which meant she was in deep thought, but probably worried. Or that Jack was in A.P. French but knew more than the teacher because she was also a French citizen and had her own apartment in Paris that was given by her maternal grandparents.

Jack bit her lower lip as she tried to say what she wanted without looking like a spoiled little girl.

"Why didn't you mention that your parents were in town?" She asked and breathed relieved because her voice didn't come out demanding and whiny. Reid actually choked on the fry that was on his mouth and started coughing, making Jack chuckle lowly.

"Who…told...you …t-that?" Reid inquired between coughs and sips of Coke. Reid was always so suave and charming that it was just weird and a bit hilarious to see him stuttering and choking like that.

"Kate. Pogue told her. Really Reid, I thought you would tell me, I'm your girlfriend after all," Jack said in a mock stern voice as she pointed a finger at him. Reid relaxed a bit, but his mind was still swirling. Even though they had been dating for months, Reid knew that if his parents came near her, their relationship would be doomed. More than it already was.

"You don't know them, they would scare you off!" He cried, desperate to make her understand his point and not wanting Jack to become upset. Even though Jack thought his reaction was a bit fishy, she didn't want to make a scene like an angry girlfriend would. So, she didn't say anything and grinned. "What's wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with _you_? I can't even smile without you questioning me!" Reid raised his arms as if to tell her he was innocent.

"You're acting really weird," he noted with a raised eyebrow. Jack just shook her head, a smirk on her face. Reid recognized the smirk; he was the one who had taught her how to do it. He scratched the nape of his neck; the way she was looking at him was making him uneasy. "Fine! I'll just call them and we can go have dinner with them or something." Reid conceded.

"I'm flattered, but you don't have to go all this trouble for me to meet your parents," Jack said in a sweet voice and Reid cringed when he noticed the venom behind them. "You're only doing this because I asked you to." She hissed, crossing her arms under her chest and that action made her breasts look bigger. Reid just couldn't control the smirk on his face. Jack looked at him questioningly and then looked down. When she realized the reason why he was all smirky, Jack hit his arm making him laugh.

"I can't even look?" Reid asked pouting, only to be hit again. "Oww! Jack!" He whined while rubbing his arm. Jack could hit like a man and there was no doubt he would have a bruise in the next day. She suddenly looked at the watch and remembered the damn dinner her mom had scheduled.

"Shit, I'm late!" Jack exclaimed as she took a few bills from her wallet and placed them on the table. Reid just sat there, a bit confused by her sudden change of behavior. She stood up and pecked his lips softly.

"Where are you going?"

"Mom scheduled this dinner with her friends and she asked my help, so I have to be there earlier. I can't believe I forgot about that. You had plans for us, I'm so sorry!" She apologized and picked the enormous Adidas bag from the floor.

"It's okay, call me when after the dinner," she nodded and gave him another kiss. "I have to talk to my parents and see when they are available." Reid said hesitantly when she was turning around to leave. Jack smiled inside but her face remained neutral.

"I was kidding Reid; you don't have to take me to meet your parents," Jack laughed, hoping he wouldn't believe that she wanted to meet them _that_ bad.

"I want you to," he declared, resolution on his voice.

"We'll talk later, okay? I'm super late!" Jack said before practically running towards the door. Reid gulped down his lemonade, desperately wishing it was vodka.

000000

"You can kill me now," Reid groaned when he entered his dorm room and saw Tyler reading a magazine. Tyler stopped what he was doing and saw Reid's face. "I made a huge mistake,"

"Another mistake, Reid? _You _are killing me." He expected Reid to lighten up and at least chuckle but he remained serious. "What's going on? What did you do?"

Reid slowly walked to the couch and carelessly sat down.

"I told Jack she could meet my parents," Reid said in a pained voice and Tyler started to laugh. Reid had really worried him for a minute.

"And that's a bad thing because…?" Tyler asked raising both of his eyebrows.

"You know my parents, Ty! Two things can happen, they will scare her off and she'll break up with me or they'll scare her and our whole relationship will get weird and she'll break up with me eventually!"

"You're so dramatic. Have you ever thought about the possibility that they actually like Jack?"

"I'm not hoping for the best if that's what you mean," Reid started to nervously crack his knuckles, making Tyler roll his eyes. Reid was _such_ a drama queen.

"Look, Reid. We know Jack and I'm pretty sure she won't feel intimidated by them,"

"Meredith and Joseph can intimidate _anyone_," Reid said stubbornly and Tyler knew he wouldn't be able to convince his friend otherwise. "I'm so screwed,"

This time, Tyler just stayed silent; he would let Reid suffer if that was what he wanted to do.

-tbc-

**A/N: I just want you to realize that Reid likes Jack and he's feeling guilty, that's why he's being a little OOC. Who do you like best? Sweet Reid or Jerk Reid? Next: Jack meets Mr. and Mrs. Garwin. I've written all the ideas I have for this story so all I have to do is write the chapters. Thanks so much for the reviews! I'll try to update 'Since You've Been Gone' soon. Please review, your opinion means a lot to me!  
**

**See you on the next update!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The silence inside the black BMW was starting to worry Jack; Reid had only said two words to her since he had come to pick her up. She wanted to turn on the radio or initiate a small chat with him but they would at his house in a few minutes, so Jack just opted for placing a comforting hand on his thigh. Her small gestured worked as Reid took his eyes off the road for a few seconds to give her a small smile.

"I'm nervous, you know?" Reid commented with his attention turned to the road. Jack stopped fiddling with the hem of her dark green cocktail dress and turned to look at him with an raised eyebrow.

"Why? They're your parents; you know grew up with them. I should be the one nervous," Jack ran her hands through her dark blonde hair, showing that she was indeed nervous.

"You'll be fine, they're pretty nice with anyone who isn't me," Reid told her in an amused voice, even though he didn't really think his words were true. Joseph, his father, was too businessman-like to know how to talk to a seventeen year old girl and his mother, Meredith, was capable of picking out every single flaw that someone had. Jack could be a tough girl, but he was afraid that she would leave the dinner in tears.

"I'm pretty sure they're very nice to you. Look at how spoiled you are!" She laughed and pointed to the leather seats of his brand new car.

"You're pretty spoiled too. I mean, what girl has a walk-in closet inside her huge suite?" Reid laughed and she slapped his thigh weakly.

"Lots of girls and guys, but that doesn't matter. I need to know how your parents are so I can be better prepared," Jack said and Reid noticed the concern in her voice.

"I don't know what to tell you, they're… Joseph and Meredith," he finished lamely before giving her a 'I'm sorry I can't help you' look. Jack sighed and slumped back on her seat.

"But I'll be fine, right?" Jack asked, starting to regret asking Reid to meet his family. Maybe she should've listened Sarah and Kate when they said that Mr. and Mrs. Garwin were difficult people to deal with.

"Yeah, you'll be alright," Reid replied after a few seconds, his eyes trained on the road. He just hoped that his tone wasn't too unsure

00000

Reid looked at the dark wooden door before opening it with the silver key he barely used. He held it open so Jack could enter before him. The house was exactly like he had last seen it three months ago, the Chinese rug was still in the entrance and the Matisse painting was hanging on the wall. That meant his mother didn't have time to call the renovators- yet.

"Nice house," Jack commented while taking off her coat, revealing a dark green dress underneath it. Jeanette, one of the maids, appeared and took both of their coats.

"Mr. and Mrs. Garwin are in the living room." She informed them in her normal clipped voice before walking away. Reid inhaled deeply and took Jack's hand to lead her.

"There you are! I was beginning to think that you weren't coming," Reid discreetly rolled his eyes. Of course that had been Joseph's way to greet his only son he hasn't seen in months. Meredith, who was sitting on a chair, got up.

"It's been so long since I saw you, Reid!" She cried and wrapped his arms around her son, who awkwardly patted her back. Jack felt her lips curl in a smile; Reid pretended he was a bad boy, but in reality he was just a mama's boy.

"Hey mom, dad. Like I'd told you, this is my girlfriend," Reid said quickly and circled Jack's waist with his arm.

Meredith and Joseph exchanged surprised looks. They knew that Reid was bringing someone, but they didn't really think about it.

"I'm Jacqueline Dupont. Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Garwin," Jack introduced herself in the most confident voice she could achieve. After a few seconds in shock, Joseph extended his hand to Jack, who immediately took it.

"Dupont, huh? That's not a very common name." That was one of the reasons why Reid didn't want her to meet them. Joseph was too blunt and not everyone liked it.

"Oh, it's a French surname," Jack replied with grace, not once being intimidated by the man clad in an Armani black suit. "My father is the French Ambassador. I was actually born in France,"

"An ambassador's daughter," Joseph mused, his brown eyes glinting. "That's a real catch, son." He gave a pat on Reid's back and Reid was able to detach something in his father's voice that he didn't usually heard; pride. Joseph was talking like some cool dad and Reid wasn't used to this at all.

"Yeah," he tightened his grip on Jack's waist, wanting to protect her from the judgment she would be receiving.

"You are a very beautiful girl, for sure," Meredith finally said, causing Reid to breathe relieved. His mother had decided to compliment Jack and not start to pick out her flaws.

"Thank you, Mrs. Garwin. You look great in this dress," Jack said this out of honesty and not because she wanted to kiss her ass. Meredith touched her silk black dress and her smile got brighter.

"Oh, please. Call me Meredith. Mrs. Garwin reminds me of my mother in law." She requested, raising a hand dismissively.

After hearing Meredith say those words, Jack relaxed and felt her heartbeat slowing down. She was feeling nervous ever since Reid came to pick her up and it got worse when he seemed too hesitant to talk about his parents.

Now that Jack was in front of the famous Garwin couple, she was starting to believe that Reid had exaggerated. Meredith didn't look like one of these old money women who did nothing but plan parties and gossip all day and Joseph could be a little tough but he had been very polite with her until that moment.

Joseph looked at his watch and cleaned his throat before speaking.

"I think we should head to the dining room, the dinner will be served in a few minutes," he suggested while offering his arm to Meredith, who graciously took it.

"By the way, is this vintage Chanel? I've been trying to find those like crazy!" Jack asked, pointing to the white gold bracelet that was adorning Meredith's thin wrist.

"Yes, it is. I found it in a small boutique in Boston. I can take you there when you have time," Meredith answered with some excitement in her voice and nodded to Reid, silently approving his choice of a girlfriend. Reid smiled back and suddenly he didn't think the night would suck anymore.

0000

It was tradition going to Nicky's on Friday nights and they weren't about to break tradition, even though Tyler didn't think it was the same without Reid.

"Don't tell me you're not going to play pool just because Reid isn't here," Pogue said in an incredulous voice as he placed the small basket containing the burger and the fries in front of Tyler. The younger boy grabbed one fry and ate it. "Now you won't eat because you miss Reid?" Pogue taunted and had to duck so he wouldn't be hit on the face by the fry that Tyler had thrown.

"I won't play pool tonight because I won't be able to take Aaron's money without Reid. He's the one who cheats and wins the game," Tyler explained and took a bite of the burger.

"Well, I can play with you, if you'd like. Kate is having fun without me anyway," Pogue pointed to Kate, who was chatting with Sarah and some other girls animatedly. Tyler shook his head, refusing Pogue's suggestion.

"Nah, you suck at pool and would probably ruin our perfect score," Tyler sent him an uncharacteristic smirk that made Pogue raise an eyebrow.

"I know you've probably heard this before, but you're spending too much time with Reid," Pogue said in a serious voice and Tyler started to laugh.

"Oh please, Reid is having a dinner with his parents and his girlfriend at this moment. I think he's starting to become a positive influence on me," Tyler's statement caused Pogue's eyes to slightly widen. "What, didn't Kate tell you? Meredith and Joseph are finally in town and Reid decided it was time for Jack to meet them."

"Wow, I knew they had come back but I never thought that Reid would take Jack to his house when his parents were there. It seems that their relationship is getting serious,"

"Well, Reid's been feeling a bit guilty since the accident and he stopped taking her for granted. I just don't want to be near them when Jack finds out," Tyler's voice dropped to a whisper when he said the last part. Nicky's was filled with Spenser students and he didn't want anyone eavesdropping and discovering things they weren't supposed to know.

"Yeah man, I won't want to be near them when the bomb explodes," Pogue said, raising his coke in agreement. After dating Kate for almost two years, he had a vast knowledge of girls' behavior, especially when they were mad.

And they still managed to scare the crap out of him.

000000

Dinner had been going on for thirty minutes and nobody had left the table crying-yet. Reid had to admit that he was really impressed with Jack and the way she was handling his parents. He had concluded that he had underestimated her, especially when Jack and his mom started to have a very entertaining to watch conversation about who was the greatest designer at the moment. Meredith insisted that it was Michael Kors and Jack said that Zac Posen was the only possible answer. The two laughed after reaching a consensus and went back to eating the salad.

"So, what are your plans for the future?" Joseph inquired after taking a gulp of scotch. Reid knew it was taking too long for his father start talking about college. Unlike her boyfriend, Jack wasn't uncomfortable with the question, as she knew that was the usual subject that parents liked to ask.

"I was thinking of Harvard, of course but I'm leaning towards Yale more," she answered easily, causing Joseph to grin impressed and Reid to try hiding a surprised look. He knew that Jack wanted to attend an Ivy League college, but he figured she would go to Harvard with him and his friends. It was the first time he was hearing about these Yale plans.

"Oh, really?" Jack had caught Joseph's attention now. The man loved to see someone studying and working hard. Probably, that was the reason why Joseph and Reid were always arguing, as Reid wasn't the ideal student. "I wish Reid was more like you," Joseph said, obviously critiquing his son. Reis just rolled his eyes and counted to ten to calm himself. He wouldn't have a fight with his father in front of Jack.

"He is," Jack defended Reid while she held her boyfriend's hand. Joseph raised an eyebrow, silently asking her to explain. "I know that deep down Reid is very dedicated to school and the team but he doesn't like to show it,"

"I can tell that he doesn't like to show it," Joseph grumbled loudly and Reid just couldn't keep his mouth shut anymore.

"Hey! I keep a C average, okay?!" Reid exclaimed in protest; he should've anticipated that.

"A C is not good enough for Harvard and you know that," his father replied in a clipped tone, signaling that he was making an effort not to get mad.

Reid did know that, but he was sure that the Garwin money would be more than enough to get him in. Joseph could be a tough and kind of annoying man, but he would never let his only son go to a college that wasn't an Ivy.

"Reid is working hard to get his grades up," Jack stated, feeling the need to defend her boyfriend of his father's anger again. Reid was trying not to have an argument with Joseph and she could tell it by the way that he was cracking his fingers under the table. "He even got a tutor,"

Okay, that was a partial lie. Jack was the one who got a cute tutor from Dartmouth to help her with the AP classes. However Reid started to get suspicious of Henry, the tutor, just because he looked like an Abercrombie and Fitch male model and began showing up at her tutoring sessions to make sure that Henry wasn't hitting on her or anything like that. So Jack wasn't entirely lying, Reid _had_ learnt a thing or two with Henry.

"Oh," Joseph seemed disconcerted for a moment but he quickly got over it. "That's a good thing to hear."

Meredith smiled, pleased to see that Joseph and Reid would be getting along soon, and put a strand of her platinum blonde hair that was perfectly cut in a bob, behind her ear. Harriet, another maid, came into the dining room and served them their next meal. They ate in silence for a few minutes before Meredith decided it was time to get to know Jack even more.

"So, do you have any interests? Music, dance?"

"Actually, I play tennis and I hope to continue playing professionally," Jack answered, feeling more comfortable now that they were talking about something she was very familiar with.

"Oh, I used to play tennis to, but now I'm a golf man," Joseph said while carefully cutting the steak on his plate.

"I play golf too, but not very well. My father is still trying to teach me, he says I'm too good at tennis to play any other sport," Jack chirped, making everyone chuckle quietly. Reid nodded his head as he remembered Jack trying to play volleyball once. It wasn't very pretty.

"We could go to the golf camp here in Ipswich. I can teach you some things," Joseph suggested in a light voice. "When you're available, of course. I understand that this is senior year and you have to work to get in the best colleges," he gave Jack a warm smile and also sent him one.

Reid frowned at his father's unusual behavior and gulped down some of the soda. He didn't know why, but he had a strange feeling inside his guts and it got stronger every time he looked at Jack chatting with his father. They were talking about golf, tennis and all the things he wasn't really interested in. As Reid moved around the food on his plate, he realized something that was a bit embarrassing. He was jealous of the way that Jack was able to win over both of his parents and make Joseph smile more than he ever had.

"What do you think about this, Reid?" Jack asked while covering his hand with hers, snapping him out of his daze.

"Huh?" Reid had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he had pretty much blocked everything that was going on around him.

"Your dad wants us to play golf with him," she said with a happy smile on her face and Reid felt even more attracted to her in that moment. Everything about her was just perfect tonight, the way her dark blond her was down in curls, molding her face and her lake blue eyes were shining in glee. Even the dark green strapless dress she was wearing was perfect.

"That's a nice idea," Reid answered, looking at Jack. He wanted Joseph to think that he was only doing this for his girlfriend, even if that was a lie. Jack giggled excitedly and kissed his cheek. Meredith also giggled, happy to see her only son with someone he loved.

"It's settled then," Joseph said after clearing his throat. He wasn't used to that loving girlfriend-boyfriend thing anymore.

Nobody could see it, but deep inside Reid was starting to panic. In the back of his mind, he expected his parents to scare Jack off, so he could have an excuse to break up with her and never have to tell her the truth. However, the opposite had happened; Meredith and Joseph practically fell in love with Jack. Now their relationship got even more serious.

Damn, what the hell was he supposed to do now?

-tbc-

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the delay, school is taking all my time! I'l try to update Since You've Been Gone as soon as I can. In the next chapter: will Reid tell Jack the truth?**** Please review and thanks everyone who left a review in the last chapter, they really make my day and give me more enthusiasm to write. Before I go, I have an important thing to say:**

**I'm looking for someone who can write or co-write a Tyler/OC story based on my ideas. I pretty much know what I want to do, but I won't have much time this year and I'll give priority to my other two stories. Please, I really want this story to be written, but I don't want to start writing and not have time to finish. Whoever is interested, please send me an email and I'll tell you more about it (the plot, the characters, etc). Thanks everyone! =]**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: Not mine, unfortunately.**

**Chapter Six**

"Judging by the fact that you're not all snappy and slamming doors, I imagine that the dinner went well," Tyler said, not even bothering to watch the movie on the television anymore. Reid nodded quickly before taking off his black jacket and gloves. He shivered a little because of the coldness inside the room and went to turn up the heater. It was fall in New England, almost winter and the usual coldness and the rain was back. "What happened?" He asked, half curious, half concerned. The younger boy knew that his best friend wasn't one to show his feelings, but Reid didn't look like he was too excited.

"It was fine, Joseph and Meredith are fine and we didn't even argue or anything." Reid grinned and got the beer he had been craving for even since the start of the dinner. Usually his father would let him drink a bottle or a glass of whiskey, but his mother would probably complain about it, so he was stuck with soda and juice.

"So you didn't try to defend Jack's honor? I expected more from you, really," Tyler said in a sarcastic voice and shook his head as if he was disappointed. Reid let out a small laugh before sitting down on the couch, getting comfortable.

"Jack's honor remained intact throughout the whole dinner, don't worry. Hell, I even thought they wanted to adopt her," Reid muttered the last part, but Tyler was able to hear and detect the bitterness on his voice.

"That's a nice thing, I guess," Tyler said a bit hesitantly, still trying to understand why Reid was acting like that. After all, Jack had been accepted by his mother, which was a remarkable thing. Everyone knew that Meredith Garwin didn't think any girl was good enough to be with her only son. "Why are you like that?"

Reid sighed and took another gulp of his beer. It looked like he was trying to find the right words to explain how he had felt at dinner.

"I don't know. It's just that my parents were so nice to her, it was unbelievable. She and mom talked about clothes and these things and dad even invited us to play golf with him. Probably because I suck at golf and he wants to criticize me," Reid grumbled and Tyler let out a small surprised gasp.

"Oh my God Reid, you're jealous of mommy and daddy," Tyler concluded, his face breaking in his usual bright smile. Reid's expression said he was about to murder the younger boy.

"It's nothing like that!" He said in a hard voice that didn't scare Tyler at all.

"That's normal Reid. You know, for them to treat her like that, they are obviously excited that you found a nice girl. Nobody thought that would happen before college," Tyler explained, clearing the air and making Reid grin.

"What can I say? That girl caught my interest,"

"And also your heart," Tyler added and smiled when Reid chose to just lift an eyebrow, obviously not wanting to voice his feeling.

Yet.

000000

Usually when Jack entered Rhinecliff, the most exclusive and expensive boutique in Ipswich, she felt more comfortable than at her own home. There was something about the smell of leather in those Coach handbags, or the way that the Valentino evening gowns seemed to get prettier and prettier every time she stopped by. This morning, however, Jack wasn't feeling comfortable and wanted to spend hours and hours inside the luxurious place. She just wanted to talk to her friends, do what she had first planned and go home.

"You didn't tell Pogue, did you?" Jack asked while throwing a suspicious look at Kate's direction. The other girl raised her arms to tell she was innocent.

"No, Jack, I didn't. I told him we were going out to have breakfast and have a girl talk, that's all. Besides, I don't understand why you're so worried about me. Sarah is the one who can't keep secrets from her boyfriend." Kate said pointing to the blonde girl who was innocently going through some of the clothes on a rack nearby and had no idea they were talking about her. "Are you going to tell me why we're on a clothes store at…" Kate paused to check her watch. "Nine o'clock in the morning?" She inquired her voice holding a tiny bit of annoyance.

It wasn't really her fault she was so grumpy. After all, she had drifted off to sleep at almost three a.m. and had been woken up by Jack at eight o'clock. For God's sake, there wasn't a drop of caffeine inside her body, how was she supposed to walk and talk?"

Jack's only response to Kate's mini fit was to slid down the huge Chanel sunglasses she was wearing and lift one perfect plucked eyebrow in a way that only Jack was able to do, no matter how much the girls at Spenser tried.

"Jaa- ack!" Kate whined impatiently. She didn't want to wait; she had bags under her eyes and needed make-up urgently.

"Calm down, girl. You're going to find out soon. Sarah!" She called and the blonde girl quickly come over, a smile on her face and a Roberto Cavalli dress on her hands. Jack had forgotten that Sarah absolutely loved designer clothes, but didn't like asking for money to buy them.

"This is definitely the most amazing thing ever!" Sarah cheered while showing them the beautiful floral dress.

"You're easy to please, hun." Jack patted the blonde's shoulders before turning to the other girl. "Because you're so hard to please and are so pissy this morning, I have a peace offering." She picked up a paper bag that was on a table nearby and took out a steaming cup of mocha, Kate's favorite.

"Oohh, give me that!" Kate extended her arms and demanded just like a child would do. Jack handed her the coffee and took out another cup to give it to Sarah.

"So, now that you're properly caffeinated, I think you're ready to listen," Jack started, please when she saw both of the girls' eyes shine with curiosity. "Remember when I told you it wasn't the right time?" Kate and Sarah had confused expressions, obviously not catching the meaning. Jack started to play with her small ruby ring that was always on her finger and Kate realized she was nervous. "You know, the right time for me and Reid to…"

Jack was being extremely careful not to say it too loud. It really wouldn't be nice to have all the saleswomen listening to her as she planned the perfect night to lose her virginity.

"Oh…" the two girls said, understanding what Jack was trying to tell them. "Are you sure?" Sarah asked concerned. She didn't want Jack to get hurt by Reid, which was a strong possibility, considering the things he had done. Jack nodded and sipped her drink.

"Yeah, I mean, I've thinking about it but after yesterday I am sure. That's why we're here: I want to buy the perfect lingerie and I need your opinion!" Jack said excitedly no noticing the way the worried look that Kate and Sarah shared.

"You want to do _it_ today?" Kate inquired softly, finally understanding why Jack had been a little nervous when she had called her. Jack nodded again before popping a small croissant in her mouth. "Why so fast?"

"It's not fast; Reid and I have been dating for months. Besides, my parents went to New York this morning and will only come back on Monday. My maid Helen is not going to stay overnight, so…voilá the perfect opportunity!" Jack explained half excited, half scared.

"But Reid doesn't know you're a virgin!" Sarah whispered loudly and only the other two girls were able to hear her. "Are you going to tell him?"

Jack stayed in silent for a moment, thinking about what she was going to tell him. She never lied to Reid, she just never said she was a virgin and let him assume that she wasn't.

"Yeah, I'm going to tell him. We're trying to be more like Caleb and Sarah, no lies between the two of us!" Jack chirped, causing Kate and Sarah to giggle uncomfortably. They didn't know if they should tell Jack or stay out of her relationship with Reid. "So, are you going to help me find the perfect La Perla?"

Kate was a still bit hesitant, she didn't want her friend to get hurt. But Jack radiated with happiness whenever she talked about Reid and their relationship. Sarah lightly elbowed her, compelling her to answer.

"Of course we'll help you!" Sarah cried in her usual bubbly voice while Kate managed to nod and plaster a fake smile on her face.

00000

"Reid?" A soft, feminine voice asked and Reid walked further into the room. His jaw dropped and almost hit the floor at the sight before his eyes. Jack was wearing a short black silk robe that was tied at the waist by a bow. He gulped down and started to play with his gloves, feeling stupid that he was wearing them in the first place. Especially because he could tell by the decoration that something important was about to happen.

He may not know much about girls' feeling, but he knew what would happen inside a room that was filled with candles, flowers and had a soft music playing in the background. It looked like they were finally going to do it and surprisingly, he was starting to get nervous. That was weird; he had lost count of how many times he had hooked up with various girls without feeling anything other than what he was supposed to feel. At the moment, Reid could hear his heart beating frantically. A small, soft giggle snapped him out of it.

"What's going on with you?" Jack asked and walked over to him. She extended her arms and slid his brown jacket down his shoulders. "You're all tense," she stated while going up on the tip of her toes to kiss his cheek.

"Nothing, I'm fine," he murmured, not able to speak any louder. Jack smiled and held his hand, leading him to the bed. "What's going on, Jack?" Reid asked even though he knew the answer. She didn't say anything and pushed him so he would take a seat on the bed.

"Remember when I told you I wanted to wait until our relationship got stronger and stable?" Reid nodded, almost impatiently. It wasn't his fault really, he was just too damn anxious! Jack leaned down until her mouth was lined with his ear. "I'm done waiting," she revealed in a whisper and Reid thought he was going to pass out. 'Get a grip, what are you, a girl?' Reid screamed inside his head.

"You want to have sex? Right now?!" He asked, not really believing in what he had just heard. "Are you sure?"

The answer he got was even more surprising that her statement itself. Jack's hands that were resting on his shoulders moved to the bow of her robe and undid it. The dark silk robe fell, pooling on her feet. Reid's jaw dropped again when he saw that she was wearing a light blue lace bra and panties, the hottest set of lingerie he had ever seen.

"I'm sure," she whispered, trying to look as sexy as she could, which was kind of hard when she felt completely exposed. "What, do I look bad?"

"No. you look perfect," Reid answered a few seconds before she asked. Everything on Jack was amazing, from her dark blonde hair that was down in soft curls, her flat tummy to her thighs that were toned from playing tennis. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist. "You're beautiful,"

"You're beautiful too," Jack replied before resting her head on his broad chest. Reid laughed, causing his chest to move and Jack to glare playfully.

"I wouldn't use this word, but it's fine," he said and leaned down to give her a passionate kiss. She cut the kiss and looked into his eyes, biting her lower lip hesitantly.

"Will you be gentle?" Jack asked, pouting a little and Reid didn't know if he was supposed to answer her question or throw her in the bed. Opting for a third choice, Reid just continued to stare at her; the hand that was on her shoulder went up to caress her face. She closed her eyes for a second, enjoying it before opening them again. "So, will you be gentle?"

The fog inside Reid's head seemed to clear just a little and he finally processed her question. Be gentle? What did she mean by that?

"I'm a virgin, Reid and I want you to be my first."Jack whispered softly on his ear and suddenly Reid's mind was swimming with question. She was a virgin? What about Aidan and the very descriptive talk he had with his friends? It had angered Reid at the time but after he had felt relieved. He didn't know if he was ready to be such an important man in a girl's life. But there was Jack, telling him she trusted him enough to give him her virginity and that thought scared him like hell.

As he looked at her soft smile, Reid was sure that if he went through with the whole thing, Jack would find out he had lied to her and would never forgive him. He didn't want to break things off, but if he didn't tell her now, their relationship would be over for good.

"There's something I need to tell you," he murmured, looking down at his hands that were starting to sweat with nervousness.

-tbc-

A/N: I'm sorry I took so long to update. School work plus writer's block doesn't equal a new chapter! Thanks for your past reviews, they made me very happy! Please make me happy again and review the story! Next chapter: Jack's reaction to the truth...

PS: I'm waiting to hear from Vendela, who has agreed to co write a story with me!!! I hope the first chapter will be ready soon!

See you soon!


	7. Chapter 7

Jacqueline raised an eyebrow and frowned at Reid's behavior. She knew that Reid wasn't aware that she was a virgin, but that small fact wasn't that big of a deal, right? It shouldn't be enough to make him start sweating and all nervous. And now Reid had something to tell her, could it be that he was mad that she had withhold that little information from him? Feeling her heart almost burst from her chest, Jack chose to keep quiet and hold his hand.

"I need to tell you something but I don't know how to start," he admitted in a low, almost pained voice. "But I can't do it when you're dressed, well, when you're like that," Reid gestured to the small, matching lingerie that Jack was wearing. Nodding her head slowly, she walked over to pick up the robe that had been discarded and put it on. However, she didn't return to his side, preferring to stand a little far from him. Reid ran his hand through his blond hair that was already mussed and sighed deeply, trying to find the right words for the moment.

"You're scaring me, Reid," Jack said in a murmur while twirling a lock of blonde hair, trying to breathe in deeply so her heart would stop pounding against her chest. The sad, almost depressed, look on Reid's face was making her sick and she didn't know if she would faint or throw up. "Tell me," she urged, but Reid continued to play with his hand, cracking his knuckles at every thirty seconds. Jack noticed this because she was literally counting the seconds in an attempt to distract her mind. Obviously, it wasn't working.

"Do you remember the night of your accident?" Reid asked and as soon as the words were out he wanted to slap himself for his stupidity. Of course she didn't remember, that was why he lied to her in the first place. Jack frowned, not really understanding why he had mentioned that. "There's something I never told you."

"What is it?" Jack's voice that was usually so vibrant was now small and a little pained. There were a million things running through her head and none of them were pretty.

"I told you that nothing out of ordinary happened, but I lied," there was a sharp intake of air from Jack and Reid knew that in the next minute their relationship would be screwed. And it would be his fault. "We had an argument at Nicky's, you said you were done with us and left. I was feeling so mad that I started drinking and there was this girl and…" he trailed off, never looking up from his hands. He was sure that the look on her green eyes would be enough to break him.

"You slept with her," Jack concluded, her voice surprisingly not hard or mean, but disappointed. Reid would've preferred if she started to call him names or even hit him. But she didn't, she was actually disappointed with him, which meant that Jack had some kind of faith in him and thought he would be faithful and respect their relationship.

"No no, I didn't. We just kissed and your mother called me… nothing happened," he sighed, looking up for the first time in five minutes. The knowledge that nothing sexual happened did nothing for Jack; it wasn't like he hadn't cheated _and _lied.

"But if my mother hadn't called, it would've happened right?" Jack already knew the answer, but an unknown force made her ask anyway. Reid stared at her for a few seconds before slowly nodding his head. Jack also nodded, telling herself not to freak out; she wasn't the first girl to be cheated on and certainly she wouldn't be the last. She sat down on her fluffy, creamy white armchair that had been brought from Paris by her uncle, trying to process everything that happened. She was ready to have sex with her boyfriend, who had already slept with half of the school- while they were still dating.

Reid continued on his place at her bed, expecting, almost hoping that she would get up and hit him, showing anger instead of sadness and disappointment that were clearly written out on her face. He sighed before reaching down to pick up his jacket that was on the floor; Jack was curled up on the chair with tears rolling down her face.

"Jack, baby, I'm sorry, let's talk about-" he started saying and put a hand on her arm, only to be pushed away. Jack hastily wiped her tears and looked up at him. It seemed that sadness was the first stage and it was already over, she was currently in the furious stage.

"Let's _not _talk about this. Actually I have a better idea: let's _not_ be boyfriend and girlfriend anymore and how about you get the hell out of my house!" Jack practically yelled, standing up from the chair and crossing the room with large strides. She slammed the door open with an uncharacteristic strength, her message very clear.

"Jack, I know I messed up but I'm sorry and I want us to get through this!" Reid cried, starting to get a little desperate. He always imagined that Jack would be a little angry at first but after a little bit of sweet talk and flowers she would forgive him. The way that her green eyes were glistening in fury confirmed that it would take a lot more than sweet talk to get her to even look at him without being disgusted.

"I just want you to leave, Reid!" Jack pointed to the door again; her face was red from her early screaming and it took an exhausted expression when Reid remained rooted to his place, not willing to get out. "Please, Reid. Just leave." She just wanted to be able to sob freely without him watching.

Five minutes ago, Reid was determined to make Jack listen to him, to get her to understand that he was truly sorry for what happened. But now, his resolve was starting to fade away; watching Jack being so hurt was horrible. So, Reid decided to comply to her request, but not before trying one last time.

"I'm sorry," he whispered before turning around to leave. Her response to his apologies had not been the best, so he thought that giving her some time to figure things out was probably the best thing to do.

Jack waited until she heard the _click_ of the door closing to let the tears fall from her eyes and the sobs rock her body.

000

The silence in the table was obvious and awkward, but no one wanted to be the first to break it. Reid was carefully moving his food around the plate, not eating anything, but successfully avoiding his friends. They would probably make questions about what happened with Jack and he wasn't ready to answer that. Especially because he had already left her fifteen messages and she didn't answer or called him back.

"Are we…" Sarah started to say but was cut by Caleb's stern glare and Kate's painful kick on her shin underneath the table. "Aw," she moaned while bringing her leg up to rub the injured place. Damn, why wasn't Kate wearing her usual flats today?

"So, why don't we get this straight?" Pogue spoke up, his voice as confident as ever and Sarah felt a little mad that nobody tried to keep him from talking, while had received a glare and a kick. But then again, Pogue was a tall and strong guy and she didn't think anyone would dare to hit him. Well, maybe Kate, but only because she could do anything she wanted and Pogue always forgave her. "Jack found out, didn't she? Man, I knew that girls couldn't be trusted when it comes to a good gossip," he chuckled lowly, ignoring the glares he was receiving because of his lack of tact.

"Pogue…" Kate said, her tone obviously urging him to stop talking. Of course he didn't listen to her and just shrugged his shoulders, waiting to hear an answer from Reid, who was sitting across from him.

"I told her, okay? She didn't hear it from some girl on the school restroom," Reid snapped at him, saying his sentence in one breath. "I told her and she threw me out."

"Sorry man," Pogue said in the typical sympathetic voice and Caleb patted Reid on the back. Meanwhile, Sarah's and Kate's minds were running, as they tried to figure out what Reid had just said.

"It's fine. She would have known anyway. It _was _a stupid idea to lie when anyone could've told her the truth, I have no idea how Leah didn't tell her before." Reid waved his hand, indicating that he wasn't looking for any of those sympathetic and pitiful expressions. He wasn't the first boy to get dumped and he certainly wouldn't be the last; even if this was his first time getting dumped by a girl.

"Wait a minute, did you tell her everything?" Kate asked in an almost desperate voice, causing everyone to frown at her, even Reid.

"Yeah, I figured that I shouldn't lie to her anymore. Jack knows everything now," Reid said and raised his eyebrows, a question mark visible on his face. Kate moved her hands, showing that she was a little nervous.

"Shit," she murmured while looking down at her glass filled with orange juice.

"Kate? Care to explain?" Sarah said in that gentle voice of hers, but with a curious edge.

"Jack knows," was Kate's simple answer that made Sarah laugh and look at her like she was retarded.

"We know she knows, Reid just told us. Are you feeling okay?"

"Jack knows that _we _knew!" Kate exclaimed in an agitated voice, pointing to herself and to Sarah's direction. "We knew and didn't tell her. Even after…" she started rambling, but stopped abruptly when she realized that she was about to reveal what Jack had planned to do on the weekend. Thirty seconds later, Sarah's eyes bulged out as the blonde finally figured out what Kate was trying to say.

"We're screwed," Sarah concluded in a groan, letting her head fall on Caleb's shoulder. One of the boys cleared his throat, causing Sarah to look up and see that the four boys had a totally confused look on their faces. Apparently, they hadn't been able to follow Kate and Sarah's fast paced conversation.

"Hello? I'm a little lost here," Pogue announced and scratched the back of his head in a cute way that looked like a puppy. Kate gave him a soft smile and a kiss on the cheek before explaining the situation.

"Jack probably figured out by now that we were covering for Reid. She must be so mad."

"I never thought about that when I told her. Sorry," Reid apologized uncomfortably before extending his arm to steal a fry from Tyler's plate like he was used to.

"I think that you won't be curious for a long time," Caleb commented and pointed to the door's direction with his head. Jack had just entered the cafeteria with Leah and was moving to sit on a table near the big windows. Reid was watching her every move and felt an extra weight in his stomach when he realized she had totally ignored his presence; she didn't even spare him a simple glance.

"I can't take this, I need to go talk to her now," Kate was almost jumping with anxiety and didn't think she would be able to wait until school was over to solve her situation with Jack. Besides, she needed all the time she could get to make Jack forgive her. A hesitant Sarah held Kate's hand to prevent her from standing up.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe Jack is upset and doesn't want to talk to us right now," Sarah tried to stop Kate, even though she knew that when Kate was convinced of something, nothing was able to stop her.

"I know, but we need to sort things out, let her know that we didn't really want to lie to her…" she trailed off, looking uncertain for a few seconds before getting up, not caring about the horrible scraping sound that the chair made. "Are you coming or not?"

"Yeah, I'm coming,"

The two girls approached Jack's table, Kate with that fake confidence of hers and Sarah just feeling too hesitant to keep up with Kate's anxious, fast strides.

"We need to talk, Jack," Kate announced, interrupting the conversation that was going on between Jack and Leah and not feeling bad for it. Jack looked up and sent the two girls that 'I'm trying to be polite' look that she had mastered after so many years.

"You can talk right now," Jack said in a sweet voice and at that moment Sarah knew they were more screwed than she had previously thought; Jack only used that tone when she was extremely angry, but trying to hide it.

"I don't think we want the whole school to listen, do we?" Most of the Spenser students inside the cafeteria were paying close attention to what was happening between them. Everyone knew that Jack and Reid were broken up, so now they were all fishing for details. Jacqueline looked around and sighed. Didn't these people have a life? It was not like they were the first couple that broke up in the world.

"Fine, let's talk somewhere else," with those words, she got up and walked to the door, not waiting for the other two girls.

0000

"What did you want to talk about?" Jack asked while sitting on a desk. She chose an empty classroom to talk with Kate and Sarah to avoid any of those curious girls that would probably try to listen to their conversation if they were in a more public place.

"About your breakup with Reid," Sarah answered and sat down as well. Jack let out a sound that was mix between a laugh and a snort.

"What do you need to know about it? You know exactly why we broke up and that is the reason why I don't want to talk to you," her voice was controlled but it looked like she would snap in a few minutes.

"It wasn't like that…" Kate started to say, but was cut off.

"Oh please, Reid cheated on me, he lied to me. Do you have any idea of how stupid I felt?! I wanted to give him my _virginity _and he was sleeping with other girls." She said the word virginity in a quieter voice and felt her face heat up a little when she remembered that horrible Saturday night.

"We wanted to tell you, Jack, but you were so happy. Every time I mustered up the courage to tell you, you said that Reid was going to take you to dinner or that he did something sweet and I couldn't tell you." Sarah explained, her eyes looking apologetic.

"I always knew that we would break up some day; we were as dysfunctional as couples get. I didn't expect my friends to betray me," Jack confessed, her eyes not meeting Kate's or Sarah's as she swiped an invisible speck of dirt off her black tights.

"We didn't betray you, we're your best friends," Kate reminded her and Sarah nodded, confirming what the girl said.

"You chose your boyfriends over me!" Jack cried, her voice hitting a higher note that made the two other girls cringe a little.

"What do you mean by that?" Sarah frowned, the word _confusion_ was clearly written on her face.

"You only lied because Reid is Caleb and Pogue's best friends! You would've told me if he were any other boy." There was a silence and that confirmed Jack's suspicions: they did lie to her because of Caleb and Pogue. "You know what sucks? Leah told me that was probably why you two lied and I told her it wasn't possible; we've always had the hoes over bros rule and there was no way you would something like that. But what do I know, right? I'm just this stupid, virgin girl." Jack leaped from the desk and the Mary Jane black pumps she was wearing made a loud noise against the marble floor. Sarah could tell that she was going to leave even if their conversation wasn't over and Sarah couldn't let that happen.

"So this is it? We make one mistake and we're not friends anymore?" Sarah asked, voicing the disappointment she was feeling. Jack, along with Kate, had been her best friend ever since she arrived in Ipswich and Sarah didn't want to lose the amazing friendship the three of them had.

"It's not one little mistake, Sarah. Look, I need some time to think things through. I promise I'll talk to you when I'm ready, okay?" Jack whispered before turning around and leaving. Sarah sat down; feeling a little defeated, and looked at Kate, who chose to sit on one of the chairs as well.

"Do you think she'll forgive us?"

"I don't know."

00000

The sound that her pumps made when they clinked against the floor was starting to annoy Jack, but she couldn't be bothered with that at the moment; she just needed to get to the bathroom as soon as possible. The conversation she had with Kate and Sarah didn't help to improve her mood not one bit and she could already feel some tears threatening to spill from her eyes. That couldn't happen at all; it had taken a lot of make up to make her look presentable and hide the horrible bags under her eyes she had acquired after spending the whole night crying.

Just as she was turning around the corner, someone grabbed her arm and easily spun her around. Jack was so surprised that she didn't have the chance to scream; when she was about to do that, she realized who her 'captor' was.

"I should've known it was you," she hissed and freed her arms from his grasp with the strength she had acquired after playing tennis for so many years. Reid put his hands inside his blazer pockets and began studying her, figuring what would be the best thing to tell her. No pretty words came to his mind, so he stuck with the obvious.

"We still need to talk," he murmured and raised his right hand to wipe a tear that had fallen from her blue eyes with his thumb. Reid expected her to scream and run away and he never felt more relieved when she didn't.

"You're right. I'll call you later and we can meet in…" Jack started to make plans but was cut off.

"No, we need to talk right now." Reid said in a determined tone and Jack knew he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Right now? I have AP French in twenty minutes," she argued, but then realized that wasn't a good excuse. Reid actually laughed and ran his hand through his blond hair.

"Oh, please, you know more than the teacher. It's safe to skip on day of class, okay?" He jingled his car keys on her face and she took it.

"Fine, let's go." Jack said and began walking.

_-tbc-_

A/N: I'm sorry it took me so long to update, but school is just taking all my time. I don't know when I'll be able to update, because I have to study, but I'll let you guys know. Thanks so much for your reviews, I hope you like this chapter, please review and tell me if you want Jack and Reid together!


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